Conventionally, various types of exposure apparatuses have been developed to increase the integration density and decrease the feature size of the patterns of a semiconductor integrated circuit, or the like (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2000-012412, 09-246140, and 2002-203771 and Japanese Patent No. 02821795). FIGS. 16, 17A, and 17B are views showing the structure of a conventional exposure apparatus. Referring to FIG. 16, the interior of a light source 101 is maintained at a vacuum. Full-spherical light from the light source 101 is aligned in the light-emitting direction by a light source mirror and focused and reflected to form an EUV light-emitting point. A light source mount surface plate 102 anti-vibrates and positions the light source 101. A light source mount 103 supports and anti-vibrates the light source mount surface plate 102. An illumination system 104 is an exposure light introducing portion which introduces exposure light 107 from the light source 101. The illumination system 104 is formed of mirrors and shapes the exposure light 107 by uniforming. An illumination system mount surface plate 105 anti-vibrates and positions the illumination system 104. An illumination system mount 106 supports and anti-vibrates the illumination system mount surface plate 105. The exposure light 107 emerges as it is transmitted through the illumination system 104.
A reticle 108 is a master having a reflection pattern to be projected and exposed. A reduction projection mirror optical system 109 reduces and projects an exposed pattern reflected on the reticle 108. The reduction projection mirror optical system 109 projects and reflects light by a plurality of mirrors to finally reduce and project light with a specific reduction ratio.
A wafer 110 is a substrate on which the reflected, reduced, and projected pattern of the reticle 108 is to be exposed. A wafer stage 111 aligns the wafer 110 at a predetermined exposure position. The wafer stage 111 is alignment-controlled to be capable of driving in the six axis directions, i.e., the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, Z-axis direction, tilt about the X-axis, tilt about the Y-axis, and rotation about the Z-axis. A wafer stage mount surface plate 115 is supported by a wafer stage mount 116 serving as anti-vibrating means, and supports and anti-vibrates the wafer stage 111 with respect to the apparatus installation floor.
A reticle stage 112 mounts on it the reticle 108 as an exposure pattern reflecting master. A reticle stage mount surface plate 113 is supported by a reticle stage mount 114 serving as an anti-vibrating means, and supports and anti-vibrates the reticle stage 112 with respect to the apparatus installation floor. A projection system mount surface plate 117 is supported by a projection system mount 118 serving as an anti-vibrating means, and supports the projection optical system 109 with respect to the apparatus installation floor.
A vacuum pump 119, vacuum pump 120, and vacuum pump 121 are supported by a main body structure 122 (see FIGS. 17A and 17B). The vacuum pump 119, vacuum pump 120, and vacuum pump 121 respectively maintain the space around the reticle stage 112, space around the projection optical system 109, and space around the wafer stage 111, where a vacuum chamber 123 forms vacuum partitions, to vacuum states of about 10−3 Pa to 10−4 Pa.
Conventionally, in the exposure apparatus having the above structure, when accessing the space around the reticle stage 112, space around the projection optical system 109, and space around the wafer stage 111 for the purpose of maintenance, or the like, the respective modules are separated, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 17A, when accessing the reticle stage 112 and its peripheral portion, the main body structure 122 is separated and a vacuum chamber 123A is separated from the vacuum chamber 123, so that the module of the reticle stage 112 retreats and separates upward.
As shown in FIG. 17B, when accessing the projection optical system 109, wafer stage 111, and their peripheral portions, the main body structure 122 is further separated and a vacuum chamber 123B and vacuum chamber 123C are separated from each other, so that the module of the projection optical system 109 retreats and separates upward.
In this manner, conventionally, when accessing modules and components in a vacuum chamber or dividing and transporting the apparatus, the respective modules are separated and divided.
Conventionally, however, when opening and dividing the chamber, a chamber including a module or component, which is not an access target, must also be opened. Therefore, a contaminant, moisture, or the like, attaches not only to the module or component as the access target, but also, a module or component, which is not an access target, thus, contaminating the interiors of the chambers.